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I've blogged about how my father always took time to listen to his employees and let them know that they were a part of his extended family. He made sure they were cared for. In fact, he was one of the first employers to offer health care coverage to his people.

To this day, I firmly believe in the importance of the health of our employees and, in particular, the vital role that health benefits play in keeping them and their families healthy. On a national level, there is a robust debate around health care and who bears the responsibility for making sure that Americans stay healthy. While that discussion continues, Marriott International is committed to honoring the values and traditions established by my parents almost 80 years ago.

During these tough times, it has become more difficult for employees at many U.S. companies, including Marriott, to work a sufficient number of hours to continue to qualify for health benefits. An employee who is worried about losing his, or her, health care coverage can't be expected to be at their best in the workplace. For a business to be healthy, employees and their families need to have access to quality health care.

For that reason, we have taken steps to ensure that our full-time employees in the U.S. who are working reduced hours will not lose their health care coverage in 2009. Through the remainder of the year, we have suspended measuring hours worked to maintain health care benefits. The only exception is in the state of Massachusetts, in order to comply with specific state laws related to health care.

The current discussion on health care reform in our country is of the utmost importance, and finding the right solution is essential to the future of our nation. In the meantime, helping our people maintain their health so that they can achieve their very best remains a top priority at Marriott.

I'm Bill Marriott and thanks for helping me keep Marriott on the move.

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Dear Mr. Marriott
Hello im so proud to be writting you .. i just became part of ur extended family 2 days ago and WOW!!! IT IS AWSOME HERE!! EVERYONES SO NICE.and As a Marriott employee, I want to say THANK YOU to you, your family (especially your founding father) and all of my colleagues for a fabulous work environment! You really do have your employees interests at heart! I love going to work EVERY SINGLE DAY and making our guests smile; Why? Because you make your employees smile! Thank you Mr. Marriott for a wonderful career and opportunity!
Lex

As a Marriott employee, I want to say THANK YOU to you, your family (especially your founding father) and all of my colleagues for a fabulous work environment! You really do have your employees interests at heart! I love going to work EVERY SINGLE DAY and making our guests smile; Why? Because you make your employees smile! Thank you Mr. Marriott for a wonderful career and opportunity!

Kudos to the company for having a guest care ambassadora at the Courtyard Waterfront, Charleston, SC. This was my first visit to Charleston and as always I stay at a Marriott propertly. To my surprise I met this wonderful woman who's name tag simply stated "Mama". And boy is she like a mother. She made my stay feel more like I was home. This woman was genuinely kind to every guest who came into the hotel. She went above and beyone her normal duties by driving my friend and I to find a gullah storyteller. She even invited the storyteller to have breakfast with us the next day. What a jewel. Please consider using her as a model for having other ambassadors at your properties. Thanks again "mama" for an enjoyable stay at the Courtyard.

I first met the Marriott family in Wolfeboro, NH, where I worked in the ER at Huggins Hospital, and have followed the company ever since. You truly do understand the value of your employees and are to be commended for all you do to help your employees realize their dreams and attain their goals.
Now, please throw your enthusiastic support behind a single payer national health insurance program for ALL citizens. That will level the playing field for all employers and reduce costs for all Americans.

Thank you for setting such a great example to all! I travel constantly for work, and as a Marriott Rewards member I will say with honesty that Marriott is the best to its guests! It now seems that it is the best to its employees as well! No surprise! Thank you Mr. Marriott!

An excellent point: healthy employees are happier and more productive. So not only is the decision a good PR choice, it could be a really good investment in the workforce. Anyway, its nice to see employer & employee working together to confront the crises - without any sort of finger pointing and blame for once.

I stay at Marriott's exclusively and this week had to go through the kitchen at an upscale hotel in Central Florida since the guest elevators temporally did not work. I was shocked that the walls were lined with inspirational messages and guest handling instructions ONLY IN SPANISH. Are these employees legal and entitled to health care? Are you doing a disservice to America by promoting and enabling the means not to learn English and join the rest of us? Something to think about...

I'm already a member of Marriott Rewards, but this makes me want to stay at your hotels even more. Very enlightened. If you tresat your employees as if you care for them, they will treat hotels guests as if they care for us.

Dear Bill:
I would like to think that when your dad opened the FLAGSHIP Key Bridge Marriott, designed it around a central courtyard with swimming pool, and then opened the health club to community membership, he was aware of the symbolic nature of the act beyond the bottom line. To provide exercise to guests, their families visiting Washington and hotel neighbors is the essence of holistic community health policy. Economic times are tough, but American corporations need to continue to play such a role.
If helping our people maintain their health does remain among the values and traditions established by (your) parents almost 80 years ago , please, don't close the Key Bridge Marriott health club for new convention space...
Thanking you for 20 years in the pool.
David Sitomer, retired JD.
Washington D.C.

Dear Bob Bell, I agree with your point, but we all need to get rid of these packaging mentality from cleaning products. In my view there is no need for chemicals products, or to use very few, in order to avoid producing packaging. A chain like Marriott would be better off using professional compact stream cleaners.

This does not surprise me at all. Over the years, I can recall being exposed to many a Marriott employee and never found one who was not positive, helpful and courteous. Bill Marriott has taken care of his employees just like his father did.
No wonder they are a great company.

This is another reason I prefer to stay at Marriott, the company with a heart. I have friends who've lost their health insurance and know what an anxiety that creates for them and their families, so this is an expeciallly important action.
I've travelled the world and feel at home whenever I check in. Now this action on health care illustrates how the company considers staff to be family.

Bravo Mr. Marriott....Your dad taught you well to stick to your values. I admire you more and more through the years. Health care is vital. We learned that this year when my wife ended up in the hospital for 51 days. We would have been wiped out if we had not been covered....Lee

As a lifelong Marriott customer, my wife and I are happy to hear that Marriott supports its employees like it does its customers...IN THE BEST MANNER POSSIBLE. We have been served very well by many of your employees, for many years, and they deserve your full hearted support and caring!

Dear Bill, The ECHO program instituted by Marriott is excellent. However the program is falling short the area of cleaning supplies and air fresheners. The EcoLab products you are using have toxic ingredients in them which are hazardous to health and environment. Please look into this, and do not go half way in this area. This is so important,and it must be changed. Commercial Natural products are for available and being used by many green hotels. Please institute this chainwide. The following link has product data information on the EcoLab product you are using in the Marriott chain. http://www.national-toxic-encephalopathy-foundation.org/marriott.htm

Good job, Mr. Marriott.
Also, in an effort to protect everyone's health, I suggest you make sure that every smoke free hotel is complying with smoke free policies and local legislation.
There are a lot of holes in the implemtation part of this issue. I would be glad to provide details offline. However, I think that the lack of a standard is sufficient to warrent a review.